TCC, A Wireless to donate 235K backpacks to local kids

NEWBERRY — A Wireless is partnering with TCC, the largest Verizon Authorized Retailer in the United States, and its Culture of Good to donate 235,000 backpacks full of school supplies to children through TCC’s annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway.

More than 1,300 participating stores are inviting local families and their children to visit July 30 between noon and 3 p.m. to pick up a backpack filled with various school supplies, including pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders and glue. One backpack per child present will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.

Each participating TCC store will donate 250 backpacks and each A Wireless store will donate 125 backpacks. All leftover backpacks will be donated to local schools. The participating TCC store in Newberry is located at 113 Heritage Drive.

Since 2013, TCC has donated more than 360,000 backpacks filled with supplies to ensure children are well prepared for the start of the school year.

“Every year, TCC employees and communities around the country look forward to the backpack giveaway,” said Scott Moorehead, CEO of TCC. “It brings our employees immense joy to give back to the young children in their communities, and we are proud to put so many smiles on the faces of the deserving families who have made this annual event such a success.”

In 2015, the National Retail Federation predicted the average person with children in grades K-12 would spend $97.74 on school supplies such as notebooks, pencils and backpacks. With more than 16 million children in the United States living in poverty, TCC is working to alleviate the rising costs of school supplies through the annual program.

“When given the opportunity, doing good is important, and taking such opportunities to help, lift up and encourage others is a privilege,” said Bryan Bevin, president and CEO. “At A Wireless we don’t just want to be doers of good, we want to inspire a Culture of Good.”

TCC makes ongoing investments in the communities in which it does business through its Culture of Good. In 2015, its efforts included donating $1 million to Riley Hospital for Children, providing 100,000 backpacks full of school supplies to children, giving supply packs to 5,000 teachers and contributing $100,000 in grants to organizations focused on improving the environment.

Supporters of the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway are encouraged to use hashtag #cultureofgood on Instagram and Twitter to help spread the word.